Discusses the history and importance of the Chihuahua Trail, established in the sixteenth century to connect Mexico City and Santa Fe, and the Camino Real, established in the seventeenth century to take travelers and trade up the California coastline.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-Each of these easily accessible volumes provides background material on the early history of its respective area, focusing on archaeological information. The books also trace the development of these important routes, explore the people who traveled them, and comment on the clash of cultures as Euro-Americans encountered Native peoples. Each author carefully points out the contributions of the different groups who traveled these routes during different centuries and reminds readers of the significant contributions of the indigenous people who were often displaced by explorers and settlers. These routes connected cities, provided paths for commerce, and were vital links for people and their story is fascinating. El Camino Real, which is discussed in Mission Trails, eventually linked the missions on the coast of California; the Natchez Trace was an ancient Indian trail that later played an important part in the lives of Andrew Jackson and Meriwether Lewis. These well-researched, readable texts are illustrated with black-and-white photographs and small maps (with no scale). The texts are straightforward and somewhat dry but motivated students who are looking for report material will find them useful. Students looking for something with more visual appeal will find James Crutchfield's The Natchez Trace: A Pictorial History (Rutledge Hill, 1985), with its glorious photographs, more to their liking. Solid, serviceable additions.Dona J. Helmer, College Gate School Library, Anchorage, AK Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.